Minato and Sekireis head towards MBI to find a cure for Uzume, but Minaka lays down roadblocks along the way. It took Higa only two seconds to get from where Minato was to where the car is and then start the car and put on his seat belt. I guess it's only appropriate for fast cars to have fast drivers. Summary: At the hospital, Higa hands Minato the flowers which contains memory card that has the info to keep Chiho in stable condition. Higa then tries to convince Minato that everything is MBI's fault and also that only MBI has the technology to cure Chiho. Later back at the inn, Minato calls his mom for help, but Takami declines to get involved. However, Minaka somehow learns of the request and contacts Minato himself, telling Minato that he'll help Chiho and Minato can make it to the top floor of the MBI building by the end of tomorrow. Right after extending this offer, Minaka immediately plays the other side and tells all the other Ashikabis to try and stop Minato's group in exchange for a special reward. Despite the risks, Minato and his Sekireis agree to head out. Meanwhile, Higa makes his own plans and hires Seo, Hikari and Hibiki for a job. The Sekirei Plan almost ended prematurely right there. Are all of these people that good at hiding, or was is just that Minato's group isn't very good at spotting people? The next day, Minato and his Sekireis depart from the inn with encouragement from Miya. MBI has called for residents of the city to stay in their homes, so Sekireis will be free to battle. Minato and company split into two group, with Minato, Tsukiumi, Musubi and Kazehana headed towards MBI's front doors while Matsu, Homura and Kusano take the back path so Matsu can take over MBI's control room. Minato's group walk unopposed most of the way to the MBI skyscraper, but then they find themselves surrounded by several Ashikabis and their Sekireis. While Minato and his Sekireis are figuring how to get past this obstacle, Sanada  (the biker Ashikabi) and his three Sekireis arrive on the scene and starts a fight with the other Ashikabis/Sekireis. This allows Minato's group to walk into MBI building where they are quickly shut in by steel shutters. The blood must be rushing to his head given how it's spraying out. Don't tell me you didn't expect that to happen. Fire has been put on ice. Meanwhile, Kusano leads Matsu and Homura down a wooded path towards MBI's back entrance. They find the entrance but are confronted by Mikogami along with Akitsu, Mutsu, and #65 Taki. Matsu and Kusano manage to break away in the midst of the battle and Mutsu goes after them. This leaves Homura to face Akitsu and Taki, and Akitsu and Taki combine their abilities to make a freezing fog which downs Homura. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It's obvious that ~Pure Engagement~ is setting up for a big season-ending battle. There wasn't anything big going on at this time in the manga, so Seven Arcs is going out of its way to set something up. Having Minato and company run a gauntlet isn't a bad idea, but it looks like the good guys might end up fighting the Disciplinary Squad once again for the finale. It's curious that the anime's scenario is somewhat similar to what's going on in the manga currently, but the timelines and many details are different. I'm wondering if Seven Arcs will make any other big irreversible changes to the story. I still believe that the anime will go back on manga material eventually, but we'll have to see if any other significant characters will bite the dust before the end of this season. As for this episode, it was mostly plot setup with a bit of fighting at the end. I wanted to see Minato's Sekireis have a skirmish against the other unnamed Sekireis and/or Sanada's group, but the standoff ended with only a off-screen fight and Minato's group getting a free pass into the MBI building. Minato got played around this episode, but that's not a surprise. Being wimpy and "pure-hearted", Minato isn't ready to handle people like Higa or Minaka, and they both played Minato for their own purposes. It was sad to see how easily Minato let Higa off the hook, but I'm sure Minato and company will come out on top somehow. I'm also intrigued that Higa hired Seo for a job. Seo is not exactly the super reliable type, but perhaps Higa meant for Seo to fail. It'll be interesting to see what they are up to. From the feed of A Product of Wasted Time
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